Breastfeeding garment and method of use

ABSTRACT

A breastfeeding garment and method of use is provided. The breastfeeding garment includes a first front flap and a second front flap positioned over the breasts of a user, and a back panel, all of which are joined at two side seams. The first and second front flaps may be moved away from each other vertically to form an aperture through the breastfeeding garment. The first and second front flaps are composed of an elastic material, so a breastfeeding funnel may be placed onto the breast of a user through the aperture and then induced to remain in contact with the breast through the elastic force generated by the breastfeeding garment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/284,689, filed Feb. 25, 2019, entitled “BreastfeedingGarment and Method of Use,” which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/634,437, filed Feb. 23, 2018, entitled “BreastfeedingGarment and Method of Use,” all of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Breastfeeding is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, theWorld Health Organization and medical professionals worldwide as thepreferred method for feeding infants. Unfortunately, there can be manychallenges to implementing breastfeeding. Because of the increasedawareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding for both infant andmother, and in light of the medical recommendations, many women arefinding ways to provide their infants with breast milk even if themothers are not physically present during the feeding or not physicallyable to directly breastfeed their infants. Some mothers have physicallimitations which inhibit breastfeeding, such as inverted or sorenipples. In other cases, the infant has certain limitations, such aspremature or low birth weight infants who have weak suckling abilities,infants with poor muscle tone, and “tongue tied”, cleft lip or cleftpalate infants who cannot create a seal between their mouth and thenipple. In addition to physical limitations, societal norms can createobstacles to breastfeeding and many women feel limited to breastfeedingin private.

The alternatives to full-time breastfeeding are either formula feeding,or feeding expressed human breast milk by bottle. Breast milk can beexpressed, or released from the mother's lactating breasts, by massagingthe breast by hand, or by the application of manual or electromechanicalpumping equipment acting upon the breasts, both of which are commonlyavailable in the domestic U.S. market. A traditional electric breastpump includes the funnel, a motor to generate the suction for theexpression of milk, and a reservoir connected to the funnel to receivethe expressed milk. Because of the duration and frequency required forbreast milk expression, a woman may express both breasts simultaneouslyto increase efficiency. This process is often uncomfortable and timeconsuming. Further, without additional support, the funnel of atraditional breast pump often will not remain over the nipple on thebreast; therefore, use of the pump requires the woman to hold it inplace with her hands, thereby inhibiting her ability to simultaneouslyperform other activities. Hands-free pumping affords a mother theability to perform other activities and/or simultaneously massage herbreasts to enhance milk let down and minimize the potential for painfulclogged ducts.

Efforts have been made to design brassieres that may be adjusted to givean infant access to a nursing woman's breast. For example, U.S. Pat. No.2,501,860, issued Mar. 28, 1950, describes a brassiere with cups thatallow an infant access to the woman's breasts. Access is provided by thewoman detaching a flap of the brassiere at the top of each cup andfolding back the fabric to reveal an opening in the fabric. The openingexposes the full breast and allows the infant to breastfeed from themother.

Other conventional nursing garments may be configured for use with abreast pump. Many of these garments do not effectively hold the pumpfunnels in place, are uncomfortable and cumbersome for the wearer, orare impractical for daily wear. Often, the conventional garments includevarious attachments to secure a funnel of a breast pump to the wearer'sbreast. For example, zippers, elastic bands, slings, hooks, buttons, andthe like may be used. Some conventional garments require additionaldevices or fabric pieces to be added or detached before the funnel canbe secured. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,217, issued Aug. 22, 2006,describes the use of an elastic band to secure a funnel of a pump andthe use of a latch to secure portions of the brassiere when the weareris not expressing milk.

Existing garments designed to support hands free pumping are alsolargely configured to be worn only during periods when milk is beingexpressed, thereby, requiring a garment change before and afterexpressing milk, which increases the burden on the woman expressingmilk. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,186, issued Dec. 21, 1999,describes a garment (e.g., a halter top, a bandeau, a tube top) that thewoman wears to secure a funnel of a breast pump to her breast. Breastpump funnels may be inserted into two openings in a central area of eachside of the garment. Accordingly, there continues to be a need forgarments that both assist a woman in expressing milk and provide thesupport, style, discretion, and/or comfort desired by the woman duringperiods between milk expressing sessions.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One or more of the embodiments of the present invention provide abreastfeeding garment having a back panel, a first front flap and asecond front flap, which are joined at two side seams. The breastfeedinggarment is positioned over the breasts of a user and the first andsecond front flaps may be moved away from each other vertically to forman aperture through the breastfeeding garment. The first and secondfront flaps are composed of an elastic material, so a breastfeedingfunnel may be placed onto the breast of a user through the aperture andthen induced to remain in contact with the breast through the elasticforce generated by the breastfeeding garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a breastfeeding garment according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the breastfeeding garment of FIG. 1 with a firstbreast pump funnel positioned on the breast.

FIG. 3 illustrates the breastfeeding garment of FIG. 1 with a firstfront flap pulled upward by the user while the second front flap ispulled downward in order to expose the other breast.

FIG. 4 illustrates the breastfeeding garment of FIG. 3 with a secondbreast pump funnel positioned on the other breast.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One or more embodiments of the subject garment may not only hold thefunnels in place securely so that the mother does not require the use ofher hands to do so, but it also can also be worn all day with or withouta nursing bra of the mother's choice, which enables the wearer to accessthe breasts and pump hands free without needing to undress and redresseach instance, thereby saving a significant amount of time for themother and maximizing comfort. The stretch and recovery of the fabricand construction of the garment accommodate and support the naturalexpansion and contraction of the woman's breasts, and the garment may beconstructed in one or more embodiments without snaps, zippers, hooks,elastic or other cumbersome hardware that may be difficult tomanipulate, uncomfortable for the wearer, and potentially irritating tothe baby's skin and/or mother's skin. The absence of any hardware alsoprovides the mother with easy access to the breasts during hands freepumping so that she may massage the breasts to enhance milk let down andminimize the potential for formation of painful and clogged ducts.

Product Description

One or more embodiments of the garment of the present disclosure mayenable engagement of one or more funnels of one or more breast pumpswithout slings, hooks, snaps, buttons, hook-and-loop attachments,latches, or the like to secure a funnel to a breast. Separate devices ormaterial pieces do not need to be added or detached to enable access tothe breast by either the funnel or an infant. One or more embodiments ofgarments of the present disclosure may enable engagement with anddisengagement of the funnel without disrobing and while the woman iswearing the garment, which may reduce the risk of spilling expressedmilk; the garments of the present disclosure may also be worn as afunctional undergarment or layering piece for an extended length oftime. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure do not definepermanent holes or openings at the center of each side of the garmentand cover the breasts while accommodating the natural expansion andcontraction of a nursing woman's breasts. The garments may also enabledirect breastfeeding of an infant, in addition to enabling hands-freepumping. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes anouter and an inner material layer that both fully cover the breast andnipple without openings in the layers at the nipple. Moreover, one ormore embodiments of the present disclosure may include free edges thatmay be manipulated to define an opening for the funnel and enablepositioning of the funnel anywhere on the breast.

Accordingly, disclosed is a garment for a nursing woman that allows thewoman to both nurse a child discreetly and pump breastmilk hands free.The garment is comprised of a lightweight breathable moisture wickingfabric with excellent stretch and recovery to adjust to a woman'schanging post-partum body. In one embodiment, the fabric may weigh 155grams per square meter (gsm). In other embodiments it may weigh as lowas 100 grams per square meter and up to as high as 275 grams per squaremeter. It is made with a material of sufficient elasticity and strengththat when worn in the “x” method described below, it firmly andfrictionally holds the funnel portion of a breast pump against eachbreast during the complete breast milk expression operation.

It can be worn with or without a bra, including all nursing bras, and iscompatible with most breast pumps. For example, a user may position astandard nursing-type bra over their breasts. The nursing-type bra mayinclude a flap that is openable to expose the nipple of the breast forfeeding, but wherein said flap also engages with said bra to cover saidnipple when feeding is not desired. After the nursing-type bra ispositioned, one or more embodiments of the present garment may bepositioned over said bra in the standard configuration discussed herein.When feeding is desired, the front flaps of the garment may first bepositioned to establish an opening as described herein and the flap ofthe nursing-type bra may then be disengaged from the bra to provideaccess to the nipple for feeding.

In one embodiment, the garment is a single layer across the back forminga back panel and two layers in the front, which are sewn together alongthe side seams, through the arm holes and through a portion of theneckline straps extending from the shoulder down to a bar tack orhorizontal stitch. In one embodiment, the bar tack or horizontal stitchis located between 0.5 and 6 inches below the shoulder on both the rightand left sides of the neckline. There are free edges on the bottom seamrunning below the breasts and free edges partially through the necklinebetween the bar tacks or horizontal stitches on each side.

To nurse, a wearer may simply pull both layers of the garment above thebreast from the hem, or the wearer may pull both layers of the garmentbelow the breast from the neckline. To pump hands free, the userrepositions the two front layers into an X design by pulling up theouter most layer over nipple on one side for a first breast and pullingthe inner most layer down from the neckline and below the nipple on thatsame side to provide access to the first breast. The opposite is done onthe other side for the second breast. The inner most layer is pulledabove the nipple and the outer most layer is pulled below the nipple toprovide access to the second breast. Alternatively, the user could firstpull down the outer most layer over nipple on one side for a firstbreast and pull the inner most layer up and above the nipple on thatsame side to provide access to the first breast. The user would then dothe opposite on the other side for the second breast. In that scenario,the inner most layer would be pulled below the nipple and the outer mostlayer is pulled above the nipple to provide access to the second breast.Once the layers are positioned to provide access to a breast, nursingmay be performed directly. Alternatively, a funnel of a breast pump maybe positioned between and engage with the bottom edge of the outer mostlayer and the top edge of the inner most layer by one or more offriction between the layers and the breast skin, elastic or spring forceof the layers pressing the funnel against the skin of the breast, and/orvertical force between the bottom edge of the outer most layer and thetop edge of the inner most layer. A funnel of a breast pump could alsobe positioned between and engage with the bottom edge of the inner mostlayer and the top edge of the outer most layer by one or more offriction between the layers and the breast skin, elastic or spring forceof the layers pressing the funnel against the skin of the breast, and/orvertical force between the bottom edge of the inner most layer and thetop edge of the outer most layer.

In one embodiment of the design, users also have the option to nurse onone side while simultaneously pumping on the other side. To do so, thewearer would simply pull both layers up over the breast that is beingused to nurse or pull both layers down under that breast. The wearerwould then pump on the opposite breast by pulling one layer above thefunnel of the pump and one layer below the funnel of the pump.

The wearer may also use the garment to keep the upper portion of thebreast and the wearer's chest covered for discreet infant feeding. Itcan be worn under a separate garment that provides easy access to thebreast, such as one that can be pulled down at the neckline or a buttondown top. The wearer would then simply pull the subject garment abovethe breast being used to nurse to maintain coverage above and around thebreast.

In one embodiment, to provide desirable stretch and recovery and/or toprovide a lightweight breathable, moisture-wicking fabric, the fabricmay be a polyester spandex blend with up to 30% spandex or lycra and aslow as 3% spandex or lycra. In another embodiment, the fabric is amicromodal spandex blend with up to 30% spandex or lycra and as low as3% spandex or lycra. In another embodiment, the fabric is a nylonspandex blend with up to 30% spandex or lycra and as low as 3% spandexor lycra. In another embodiment, the fabric is a rayon spandex blendwith up to 30% spandex or lycra and as low as 3% spandex or lycra. Thefabric may be stretched to at least 50% more of its resting state.

As mentioned above, the fabric is held securely against the wearer'sbody and when the X design is made, so that the garment supports thepump parts and bottles as they fill with breastmilk. In one embodiment,the garment is made using one or more of the fabric examples above sothat the garment may support up to 6 ounces of breastmilk on eachbreast, for a total of 12 ounces at a single time. In anotherembodiment, the garment will support between zero and 5 ounces ofbreastmilk on each side.

As noted above, the two front layers may be sewn together partiallythrough the neckline from the shoulder down to a bar tack or horizontalstitch located on the inner seam of each of the straps. This providesadditional support for the funnels and connecting breast milk bottles toensure that the user can pump hands free, a secure suction to the breastis maintained to maximize breastmilk output, and the bottles will stayin place during pumping without spilling. The bar tacks or horizontalstitches ensure that the seams stay securely sewn together as thegarment is stretched in various directions.

In one embodiment, the layers are sewn together at the side seam througha flatlock seam, which minimizes chafing and allows the wearer to movecomfortably with ultimate stretch and recovery at the sides. In anotherembodiment, a serged seam is used at the side seam. Having the layerssewn together at the side seam maximizes the resistance of the garmentagainst the wearer's body as the layers are pulled in oppositedirections to pump to again best support the pump parts and maintain asecure suction of the funnel against the wearer's breast.

The stitch used throughout the neckline is a very high stitches per inch(“spi”) coverstitch to ensure that the neckline can be stretched severaltimes below and above the breast and pump parts while maintaining itsshape to again provide excellent stretch and recovery. In oneembodiment, during construction, the fabric for the neckline is cut onthe bias to also ensure that each layer can be pulled completely abovethe breast from the hem and can be pulled to the base of the breast fromthe neckline.

In one embodiment, a nylon thread having a weight of between 18 to 36grams per 1000 meters of yarn and an average breaking strength of atleast 1 pound of force is used throughout the stitches in the garment.In another embodiment, a polyester thread having a weight between 18 to36 grams per 1000 meters of yarn and an average breaking strength of atleast 1 pound of force is used throughout the stitches in the garment.The weight and strength of the thread enables the neckline to be pulledin all directions without the stitches breaking and while maintainingthe garment's shape.

Unlike other garments on the market that can be used to pump hands free,the subject garment provides hands free support without the use of anycumbersome hardware, such as zippers, snaps, and elastic, which isirritating to a baby and mother's sensitive skin, difficult for a motherto undo and adjust to nurse, and can cause clogged ducts whenbreastfeeding.

FIG. 1 illustrates a breastfeeding garment 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, thebreastfeeding garment 100 is positioned on the torso of a user 101. Thebreastfeeding garment 100 includes a first neckline strap 105, a secondneckline strap 107, a first bar tack or horizontal stitch 110, a secondbar tack or horizontal stitch 112, a first front flap 120, and a secondfront flap 130. As shown in FIG. 1, the first front flap 120 may bepulled downward by the user 101 while the second front flap 130 ispulled upward in order to expose the breast.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a first breast pump 140 having a first breastpump funnel 142 may be positioned on the breast. The bottom edge 132 ofthe second front flap 130 is positioned outside the first breast pumpfunnel 142 in order to induce the first breast pump funnel 142 intocontact with the breast. Additionally, top edge 122 of the first frontflap 120 is positioned outside the first breast pump funnel 142 in orderto induce the first breast pump funnel 142 into contact with the breast.Consequently, the first breast pump 140 is maintained in contact withthe breast by the spring force or elastic force of the front flaps 120,130.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 3, in the region of the other breast, thefirst front flap 120 may be pulled upward by the user 101 while thesecond front flap 130 is pulled downward in order to expose the otherbreast. The first breast pump 140 remains undisturbed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a second breast pump 150 having a second breast pumpfunnel 152 may be positioned on the other breast. The bottom edge 124 ofthe first front flap 120 is positioned outside the second breast pumpfunnel 152 in order to induce the second breast pump funnel 152 intocontact with the breast. Additionally, the top edge 134 of the secondfront flap 130 is positioned outside the second breast pump funnel 152in order to induce the second breast pump funnel 152 into contact withthe breast. Consequently, the second breast pump 150 is maintained incontact with the breast by the spring force or elastic force of thefront flaps 120, 130.

Although FIGS. 1-4 illustrate the breastfeeding garment 100 in aconfiguration supporting a first breast pump 140 and a second breastpump 150 where the first breast pump is positioned in the breastfeedinggarment first, in an alternative embodiment, the second breast pump 150may be positioned in the breastfeeding garment first. In additionallyalternative embodiments, the breastfeeding garment may be employed withonly one of the first breast pump 140 and second breast pump 150installed.

Additionally in an alternative embodiment, the “X” shape created by thepositioning of the front flaps 120, 130 may also be positioned oppositeof how it is shown in the Figures. In this embodiment, instead of thefirst front flap 120 pulling down and the second front flap 130 pullingup over the exposed breast in FIG. 1, the garment may be positioned withthe second front flap 130 pulled down over the breast exposed in FIG. 1and the first front flap 120 pulled up over the exposed breast in FIG.1, which provides the opposite configuration to that shown in theFigures. Similarly, the configuration for the other breast may also beinverted from that shown.

While particular elements, embodiments, and applications of the presentinvention have been shown and described, it is understood that theinvention is not limited thereto because modifications may be made bythose skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoingteaching. It is therefore contemplated by the appended claims to coversuch modifications and incorporate those features which come within thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A breastfeeding garment including: a first front flap, said firstfront flap including: a top first front flap connection with a firstneckline strap; a first side first front flap connection at a first sideseam; a second side first front flap connection at a second side seam; afirst front flap bottom edge; and a first front flap top edge; a secondfront flap, said second front flap including: a top second front flapconnection with a second neckline strap; a first side second front flapconnection at said second side seam; a second side second front flapconnection at said first side seam; a second front flap bottom edge; anda second front flap top edge; and a back panel, wherein said back panel,said first front flap and said second front flap are joined at saidfirst side seam and said second side seam, wherein said first front flapand said second front flap are formed of elastic material, wherein saidfirst front flap may be induced away from said second front flap to forman aperture through said breastfeeding garment between one of said firstfront flap bottom edge and said second front flap top edge and saidfirst front flap top edge and said second front flap bottom edge toallow a breast pump funnel to be placed on a breast through saidaperture.
 2. The breastfeeding garment of claim 1 wherein at least oneof said top first front flap connection and said top second front flapconnection is a bar tack.
 3. The breastfeeding garment of claim 1wherein at least one of said top first front flap connection and saidtop second front flap connection is a horizontal stitch.
 4. Thebreastfeeding garment of claim 1 wherein said first front flap may beinduced away from said second front flap to form a second aperturethrough said breastfeeding garment to allow a second breast pump funnelto be placed on a second breast through said second aperture.
 5. Thebreastfeeding garment of claim 1 wherein at least one of said firstfront flap and said second front flap is composed of a polyester spandexblend.
 6. The breastfeeding garment of claim 1 wherein at least one ofsaid first front flap and said second front flap is composed of apolyester blend.
 7. The breastfeeding garment of claim 1 wherein atleast one of said first front flap and said second front flap iscomposed of a micromodal spandex blend.
 8. The breastfeeding garment ofclaim 1 wherein at least one of said first front flap and said secondfront flap is composed of a nylon blend.
 9. The breastfeeding garment ofclaim 1 wherein at least one of said first front flap and said secondfront flap is composed of a lycra blend.
 10. The breastfeeding garmentof claim 1 wherein at least one of said first front flap and said secondfront flap is composed of a rayon blend.
 11. A method of positioning abreast pump funnel, said method including: positioning a breastfeedinggarment on a user, wherein said breastfeeding garment includes: a firstfront flap composed of an elastic fabric, said first front flapincluding: a top first front flap connection with a first necklinestrap; a first side first front flap connection at a first side seam; asecond side first front flap connection at a second side seam; a firstfront flap bottom edge; and a first front flap top edge; a second frontflap composed of an elastic fabric, said second front flap including: atop second front flap connection with a second neckline strap; a firstside second front flap connection at said second side seam; a secondside second front flap connection at said first side seam; a secondfront flap bottom edge; and a second front flap top edge; and a backpanel, wherein said back panel, said first front flap and said secondfront flap are joined at said first side seam and said second side seam;inducing said first front flap away from said second front flap to forman aperture between one of said first front flap bottom edge and saidsecond front flap top edge and said first front flap top edge and saidsecond front flap bottom edge through said breastfeeding garment; andpositioning a breast pump funnel on a breast of said user through saidaperture.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of said topfirst front flap connection and said top second front flap connection isa bar tack.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of said topfirst front flap connection and said top second front flap connection isa horizontal stitch.
 14. The method of claim 11 further includinginducing said first front flap away from said second front flap at asecond location to form a second aperture through said breastfeedinggarment; and positioning a second breast pump funnel on a second breastof said user through said second aperture.
 15. The method of claim 11wherein at least one of said first front flap and said second front flapis composed of a polyester spandex blend.
 16. The method of claim 11wherein at least one of said first front flap and said second front flapis composed of a polyester blend.
 17. The method of claim 11 wherein atleast one of said first front flap and said second front flap iscomposed of a micromodal spandex blend.
 18. The method of claim 11wherein at least one of said first front flap and said second front flapis composed of a nylon blend.
 19. The method of claim 11 wherein atleast one of said first front flap and said second front flap iscomposed of a lycra blend.
 20. The method of claim 11 wherein at leastone of said first front flap and said second front flap is composed of arayon blend.